Dragon Reign: A Paranormal Love Tale

by Pressley James

  The warm heat flooded her face. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Oh, shit! Hold up--wait a minute! Have you been holding back on me? Okay, out with it!”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she hedged. “He is just my next door neigh---”

  “No, no, no,” Leslie broke in, her excitement apparent. “You’re not getting away with it that easily, sister! You already have that defensive pose, so I know that something is going on.” She scoffed again. “Bear with me, and tell me if I’m right. Are you telling me that a hot sexy man is living next door to you, and you have said nothing, zilch, nada? I am seriously going to beat your ass!”

  “Oh, stop making a big fuss about it, will you?” Her face colored further. “Xander Sullivan is just a man, and I have no interest in him whatsoever.”

  “Girl---you should see yourself right now! You’re practically radiant, and I’m picking up a vibe that screams that you’re into this brother. Wow, this Xander Sullivan must be something, and there has to be serious chemistry going on between you. This is crazy insane---my girl has the hots. I love it!”

  “You’re hopeless! And don’t try to force your ridiculous notions in my head. And how you’re getting all this from a few chance meetings, I have no idea,” she said. “I know absolutely nothing about the man, okay? Nor do I want to! I’m just damned lucky that he intervened and diverted disaster. And he could’ve been anybody, and it’d been the same.”

  Why was she lying to herself?

  From the start, she’d been smitten with her sexy hero!

  “You are such a liar, and an awful one at that! Nicole, I can read you like an open book. For the first time, you’re really interested in a man. Dare I say this, too? You’re actually in danger of breaching your fucking virginal code---and I absolutely love that fact! I just don’t get the secrecy. If you’re into him, there’s no crime, shame, or embarrassment in that.” Leslie gave an exasperated sigh. “Okay, it’s settled. It’s obvious that you need a little nudge. Get your purse and shit. We’re leaving. Time to find out what we can about this Xander Sullivan. Think he’s at home? You mentioned that he was a PI, so it’s not like he’s 9 to 5. So, he’s probably home.”

  “Are you crazy?” she shrieked. “I’m not about to make a fool--”

  “Shit, Nicole---girl---it’s not like you’re going down on bended knee with a marriage proposal! And this is the 21st century where women are liberated and free to express their needs, sexuality---”

  A scowl lined her brows. “So, we’re skipping a proposal and going straight for an indecent proposal, then?” she cracked. “No. I’m not taking part in one of your little schemes---”

  “Oh, yes you are! And we’re going to find out all that you want and need to know,” Leslie plotted, and excitement brewed in her tone. “Ten seconds with him, and I’ll know if he’s real man or a testosterone-filled asshole. Then, I’ll give you my opinion if he’s a green light or red light.”

  A wild look filled her face. “This is scary. I’m best friends with the matchmaking lunatic from hell.”

  Leslie gave a sly chuckle. “In the flesh…now let’s go.”

  “Where?” she squeaked, standing as well before grasping Macy’s leash.

  “We’re on a manhunt, girlfriend. And something tells me that Xander Sullivan is especially for you.”

  ***

  Several moments later, the elevator ascended towards the fourth floor in her apartment building.

  “I can’t believe that I’m allowing myself to get mixed up in one of your crazy schemes.” She pulled the purse strap up on her shoulder. “I really need my head examined after this.”

  But, if she were truthful with herself, she’d admit that she wanted to learn more about her mysterious hunky neighbor!

  “Just be happy that you’ve got me, Nicole,” Leslie exclaimed, smacking her chewing gum. Then, she nudged her playfully. “I mean, who else other than me has your best interests at heart, right?”

  “I suppose so. But, in this case, I don’t think your ‘heartfelt kindness’ is necessary.”

  “Oh, cut the sarcasm, sweetie,” Leslie chided. “You know you want to know what you want to know. And I’m here to help you find out what you want to know even though you’re scared of what you want to know.”

  “Can we have normal talk, Leslie, just normal?” she said, exasperated. “Call it crazy, but I managed to make sense of that gibberish. Thank your lucky stars that you have me to keep you balanced.”

  “Like always, we have each other’s back.” Leslie squeezed her in a fast hug, and then her voice turned cheery. “Now, let’s get this show on the road.”

  Seconds later, they’d reached her level.

  As the elevator doors opened, its automatic voice chimed. “Door open. Please exit to the fourth floor.”

  “Seriously, this needs to be my pad. When I have one of my drunken binges, I’d have no problem finding my way in.” Once they reached her apartment, Leslie’s voice was conspiratorially low. “Come on, we have to come up with a strategic plan to lure him over. And your mystery man won’t be a mystery any longer.”

  She shook her head. “Again, I’m crazy to be going along with this.”

  “Don’t you want to know what you’ll be hooking up with?”

  The door opened as she twisted the key. “Again, you are unbelievable.”

  Leslie cupped her shoulder with a ringed hand. “After this, we’ll know if he’s worth your time.”

  ***

  With a frown, Xander closed his apartment door.

  Who in the hell was playing games by ringing doorbells and then running off? But, whoever it was, they were swift as all out. When he’d opened the door, he’d caught sight of no one.

  He shook his head.

  Probably, just teenaged kids with nothing to do, he reasoned with a shrug.

  His eyes shot to Nicole’s apartment.

  Of course, the cause of all his sleepless nights---

  He closed the door with a hard slam. “When this is all over, Nicole Williamson will be nothing but a distant memory,” he vowed, still not moving away from it. “Gone and forgotten.”

  And that’s a lie if there ever were one, his mind whispered back.

  “Damn it,” he cursed. “What does all this mean?”

  Scowling, he stared at the closed door.

  With every passing day, a bond was forging between them, and it was completely and irrevocably out of his control.

  And that fact concerned him.

  All these unexplainable feelings that she evoked…

  Not to mention other things---

  The imbalance that’d upset his structured world…

  An awakening that stirred his immortal soul…

  And a desperate need to possess her in every way…

  Things that he’d never felt for anyone before---

  Perhaps all this forbidden love crap spouted by Princeton is getting to me, he thought darkly. An angry expletive left him again. “Damn it! I don’t need this.”

  Stepping away from the door, Xander sauntered to the wet bar.

  Attending to his P.I. duties and tracking her all day had been no easy task. He’d followed her until she’d arrived at the vet’s office. And he’d wondered if he’d be forced to intervene and act as her guide. But, what kind of lame excuse he’d use, he hadn’t known.

  But, luckily he’d been spared by the arrival of her overly-hyper best friend.

  What had she called her?

  Yeah, Leslie.

  So, he’d followed them, finally dropping off when they reached the music hall. He hadn’t detected the crazed vamp’s scent, but still he had been a little uneasy leaving them alone. But, he’d been banking on the hope that the vamp wouldn’t attack in broad daylight, especially with so many people milling around.

  Safety in numbers.

  After opening the compact fridge alongside the wet bar, he stooped over and removed the ice bucket. The ice bucket landed with a
light thud as he set it onto the wet bar. Working quickly, he extracted the chilled liquor from the fridge before removing a glass from the lower shelf of the wine rack.

  Distracted, he dropped the ice cubes into the liquor glass, pondering the latest findings.

  He frowned.

  When he’d arrived at his office, he’d first run background checks on Nicole’s circle of friends, and secondly, he’d struggled to find leads on her stalker.

  It’d taken a while, but he’d generated a short list of her closest friends and confidantes. Who knew? There was a high possibility that one of them had snapped, finally deciding to take a stroll on the demented wild side. But, thankfully, they’d all came up clean.

  As for her stalker, that was entirely different story.

  He hadn’t found anything concrete. But, the crazed vamp certainly matched the profile of a missing criminal that the FBI had been searching for months. If he was their guy, he had actually been a health care professional. But, a few years ago, the man’s license had been revoked because of inappropriate liaisons with female patients.

  Not only was he scum, but a pervert as well.

  The perpetuator had been missing for several months now. And while his actions were similar to Nicole’s stalker, his physical description didn’t match him at all. Unless he was the perfect mimicker, he must have undergone some type of plastic surgery or something, he mulled silently.

  Still, that didn’t explain why the sick bastard had a perfect array of fanged vampire teeth, sharp enough to razor through ten jugulars.

  That could only mean one thing.

  A vampire league flourished in Atlanta’s underground.

  Naively, he’d made the assumption that he was the only immortal roaming the streets.

  He’d been dead wrong.

  And why couldn’t he shake the feeling that a connection existed between the crazed vamp and his own world?

  If there were one, he was determined to find it.

  He poured liquor into the glass.

  Cradling it with a firm hand, he stepped to the window before peering out.

  The sky was edged in a dark orange hue, signifying that the evening hours were nearing. Thin white clouds stretched across the backdrop and would probably soon fade as darkness claimed its place.

  As he raised the glass to his lips, the comfortable silence was shattered.

  From the hallway, the woman called out. “Hello? Can someone help us, please? It’s Nicole---”

  “Nicole? What in the hell---” he muttered, splashing the cool liquor along his hand as he slapped the glass down. Surprisingly, the glass was still intact after encountering such brunt force.

  As he crossed the room, his concern mounted.

  Surely, the vamp wasn’t attacking now in broad daylight---

  “We need help,” the woman called again. “Please, anyone.”

  Within seconds, he’d wrenched the door open.

  Standing in the middle of the hallway, an attractive African-American woman faced him and stared at him with wide-eyed, open fascination. At 5’7, she had honey-brown skin, a pixie-cut hairstyle, and hazel brown eyes. Now, she watched him with blatant curiosity.

  Of course, it was Leslie, her busybody sidekick.

  Now, her cry wasn’t as urgent. “Help us please.”

  He strode past her into the apartment and looked around. Nicole wasn’t anywhere to be found. He tried to stifle his immediate panic. “Where is she?” he demanded, scoping the area again. At her bemused expression, he turned away from her with impatience. “Nicole!”

  “She’s over there,” her friend rambled quickly, slipping past him, and walked to the sofa. “I am a major klutz. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. And then, wham! I ran smack into her, tripped her, and she fell! I rushed out as soon as it happened to get help. I hope that she’s not seriously hurt!”

  Concerned, he moved behind the sofa.

  And there Nicole lay, sprawled on her back.

  But, from his standpoint, she didn’t appear to be in any immediate danger.

  Forcing back a laugh, he took in her bewildered expression.

  What in the hell was she up to, he mulled, kneeling down beside her.

  He was more than willing to play the charade along with her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yess-s,” she stammered, accepting his outstretched hand.

  As he closed a hand around hers, his laughter died.

  Again, he was blindsided…

  With brutal force, the strong feelings rammed into him.

  He was awakened.

  Every fiber within his body breathed with fire.

  The bright silver flames danced in his piercing gray orbs, and luckily, they were shielded by the colored contacts. His flesh was afire, and every sensual pinpoint within his body flared to life.

  “Xander,” she whispered softly. “I-I--”

  Inside, he snapped as something deep and primal came alive.

  Face tightening in a careful mask, he struggled to control his scattered thoughts.

  The electrifying shocks of sensual pleasure impaled him, and he fought the desperate urge to pull her closer. Searing, fiery heat surged through his body and flowed freely through his veins.

  Threatening to burn him to a cinder…

  Again, he cursed the dragons.

  For how could he turn away from her intense power?

  His large hand tightened around hers.

  Her skin was soft.

  Velvety……

  Smooth……

  Damn it, get control of yourself, he muttered silently, shaking his head.

  But, as he moved to pull her up, she resisted.

  Stunned, he stared down at her, and the irrevocable truth was mirrored in her eyes.

  She’d felt it, too.

  The same stirrings of deep passion…

  And she was stunned by it----

  Afraid of it----

  Yet helplessly captivated…

  Gasping, her soft lips parted as her breaths came fast. “Xander,” she whispered again, and her brown eyes darkened further. “I---I--”

  Then, there was no denying the truth.

  They were soulfully connected.

  Swallowing hard, mind racing, he swept a tortured gaze over her.

  Sweet heavens, she was beautiful…

  Her black tresses hang freely and curled at their ends. And he wanted nothing more than to bury his face in it until its sweet essence swept him under. The white t-shirt outlined her full breasts and fit her curvaceous figure perfectly.

  His large body quaked.

  She trembled.

  And there was no disputing their deep attraction.

  Heaven help them both.

  Cursing under his breath, he clamped down on his feelings.

  If they were to succumb to the forbidden flames, it would scare the living daylights out of them both of them. And he was the very thing that she didn’t need.

  “Ready---got your balance?” he asked as his voice roughened. “I’m going to pull up.”

  Breathless, she nodded. “Yes. Thank you.”

  With a fast maneuver, he pulled her up, and he was careful to keep distance between them. But, still, he sensed that she was shaken by their encounter as he eyed her, and even his words sounded unsteady as he asked, “You ok?”

  “Yes-s, I’m fine,” she said with a shaky smile, grasping his arm.

  “Green light,” Leslie muttered excitedly, breaking his thoughts. “Rev that damn engine and go. Don’t even think about hitting the brakes.”

  Hell, he’d forgotten that Leslie was even there…

  Rattled, he glanced over at her.

  Standing with her hands clasped together, Leslie stared at them with a pleased expression, and a mischievous smile split along her face.

  Double hell, he muttered to himself, a matchmaker.

  Could the situation get even more uncomfortable?

  Blowing a fast breath,
he led Nicole to the sofa and eased her onto it. Frowning, not bothering to sit down, he asked her, “What happened?”

  “Just Leslie being clumsy as usual,” she murmured, and her cheeks warmed a rich color. “Silly me probably left one of Macy’s toys on the floor and caused her to fall.”

  Lifting a brow, he looked around the apartment.

  The place was cleaner than a luxury hotel.

  “Like I said earlier, I’m a huge klutz,” Leslie intervened with a quick laugh. “I’m like a walking disaster, no kidding.”

  Yeah right, he muttered under his breath. Then, he said out loud, “Well, since everything’s ok, I’m going to head back over to my place---”

  “No, no, no, no, no,” Leslie said hurriedly, giving him a gentle push onto the sofa beside Nicole. “There’s no reason to hurry off just yet.”

  Cocking an inquisitive brow, he settled on the sofa. It took every amount of restraint he had to control his reaction to the woman sitting beside him. Finally, his thoughts caught up with her friend’s words again.

  “Things couldn’t have turned out more perfectly! What better time than now for us to get acquainted. I mean, we will be running into each other, some of us more than others, you know,” Leslie rambled on, perching on the arm of the sofa alongside Nicole. “Like you and Nicole. Probably, you’ll bump into each other all the time.”

  Gasping sharply, she turned towards her.

  Why had she agreed to Leslie’s crazy idea to begin with, she thought irritably. She might as well just etch ‘stalker’ along her forehead already!

  “So---are you from around here?” Leslie probed.

  “Georgia born and bred,” he admitted with some hesitation. “But, it’s been only recently since I’ve moved here to Atlanta and opened my P.I. office.”

  Why did it seem that his words held a sense of false truth, she frowned, and then dispelled the notion immediately. After everything he’d done for her, the last thing she’d ever do is doubt him.

  “A private investigator?” Leslie exclaimed brightly and nudged her with an elbow. “You have your own Magnum PI on the floor with you. Isn’t that exciting, Nicole?”